IU’s weird season continues with win over Michigan State
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
BLOOMINGTON — Could this season get any weirder?
After starting the season 12-2 and 3-0 in the conference, the Hoosiers have dropped 12 of their last 15 games. The three wins? At Michigan State, home to Wisconsin (a team Indiana never beats), and then another win over the Spartans in Bloomington on Saturday.
They are 15-14, yet still in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Coming into Saturday’s game, only 13 teams in the nation had six Quad-1 wins and zero Quad-3/4 losses, including the Hoosiers. And now, the Hoosiers have seven of those important wins in Quad-1.
As if their full season wasn’t weird enough, individual games are now getting stranger by the day.
Their two-point loss to Purdue resembled a final score from the 1940’s. Their wins at Michigan State and home win to Wisconsin came without Juwan Morgan on the floor. Then came Saturday.
The Hoosiers trailed 27-15 to start the game, and Justin Smith had 13 of the Hoosier points. He was the only Hoosier to make a shot until 5:30 left in the first half. No, that’s not a typo. Morgan and Langford? Nowhere to be found offensively- yet Justin Smith kept the Hoosiers in the game. He finished with 24 points.
“Attitude is everything,” Head Coach Archie Miller said about Smith. “He was huge for us today. Some of our other guys didn’t get playing time, and it was because how Justin was playing.”
Smith added: “It’s just been about getting better everyday. We’ve been getting better every day in practice- playing hard and playing for each other. It’s definitely given us momentum. Now that we’ve got two in a row, it’s next game up. We want this feeling again.”
Indiana trailed 45-35 before they flipped the proverbial switch. They went on a 9-0 run, then were able to sustain a few Sparty spurts that followed. Juwan Morgan gave the Hoosiers the lead with a 3-point play and 1:46 to go. Michigan State had a chance to win in their final possession, but freshman Robert Phinisee played lock down defense and the Hoosiers held on.
“The last possession was very fitting for Rob,” Miller said. “The way he guarded in the last possession- doesn’t get any better than that.”
Like Justin Smith, Devonte Green is another guy that’s in the occasional dog-house from Hoosier fans. And like Smith, Green was huge in this game. He scored 13 points and made 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Smith and Green were the only Hoosiers that scored in double-figures in a win over the #6 ranked team- Just like we all predicted.
As this strange season continues, it all comes down to what’s next. The Hoosiers play at Illinois on Thursday, followed by their final home game against Rutgers. Indiana will need to win both games if they want to keep the dream alive.
The Hoosiers need to get their senior back on track. Juwan Morgan is just 19-for-63 (30%) over the last six games. He was just 2-for-8 against Michigan State, but both shots were massive.
“I think our resume will speak for itself,” said Miller. “We have two more games. You have to control what you can. We have a unique resume. Our schedule strength is off the charts. We have big wins against highly regarded teams. Its’ about how you finish. We have to win. Period.”
Don’t try to predict this team anymore. All you can do is sit back and watch.
